Low Engine Power message appears , my driving speed dismished I was on the highway driving and the light appeared, I also needed some fuel, but I did eventually stop added gas engine light disappeared but it eventually reappeared again and has remained with full tank of gas
2017 Chevrolet Malibu
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Malibu years
Owner complaints for the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu are substantially higher than the model-year median of 310.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Malibu years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
397 reports with mileage · 305 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine. Review the 253 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 161 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 139 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Power Train complaints
139 reportsDriving on highway at about 65 mph on family trip to Delaware. . Car suddenly gave reduced acceleration error and speed started declining while in traffic. No warning.checked chevron app on phone and it did not see anything wrong. There was NO check engine or anything. Got to a dealer and they said it was probably a sensor for …
Read full complaint
Driving on highway at about 65 mph on family trip to Delaware. . Car suddenly gave reduced acceleration error and speed started declining while in traffic. No warning.checked chevron app on phone and it did not see anything wrong. There was NO check engine or anything. Got to a dealer and they said it was probably a sensor for gas pedal. 5 days later driving home to Georgia from trip on highway around same rate of speed. No warning . The check engine light and reduced engine power warning message came on. This time the Chevrolet app notified me of trouble and said I needed the car seen within a day. .Got to a dealer and now they say they think it may be the cam shaft based on the code but they cannot replicate issue. I took a photo of the alert from the second incident . Car has about 46,000 miles and is well maintained . Our safety was at risk both times but especially the first time as we were in traffic and speed declined .
Intermittent shifts, no reverse, MIL illuminated Happened in rush hour traffic, could not move out of EMS workers way because of reverse failure. Nearly ran into vehicle in front of me due to such harsh sift from 1st gear to 2nd gear. Currently being inspected by local Chevrolet dealer. No warning light when incident occurred,…
Read full complaint
Intermittent shifts, no reverse, MIL illuminated Happened in rush hour traffic, could not move out of EMS workers way because of reverse failure. Nearly ran into vehicle in front of me due to such harsh sift from 1st gear to 2nd gear. Currently being inspected by local Chevrolet dealer. No warning light when incident occurred, only came on when I was able to turn the car off and back on. Extremely dangerous circumstance that could have easily been prevented had GM issued a recall on Service Bulletin 18-NA-081.
I get a ‘Shift to Park’ message when car is placed in PARK and turn off ignition. This is not covered under the bumper-to-bumper warranty since it is over 3 years old, but I only have 28,800 miles on the car. This shouldn’t be failing after so soon. This happened about 2 years ago, but it stopped and has worked fine for two year…
Read full complaint
I get a ‘Shift to Park’ message when car is placed in PARK and turn off ignition. This is not covered under the bumper-to-bumper warranty since it is over 3 years old, but I only have 28,800 miles on the car. This shouldn’t be failing after so soon. This happened about 2 years ago, but it stopped and has worked fine for two years. Now it's back and won't go away. There seems to be no way to shut off the car unless it is in PARK. Until I an able to get it fixed I am concerned it won't shut-off one of these times, and what happens if it won't shut-off? None of the options are good if I'm driving after hours and the dealer or service center is closed. This can easily turn into a dangerous situation. (Repair is scheduled for next week.) This seems to be a common error reported on many 2016 through 2020 Chevrolet vehicles. There are service bulletins with regard to this problem. Why has Chevrolet/GM not had a recall for this widespread issue of a faulty micro switch?
My 2017 Malibu (50K miles) has begun giving me the "Shift to Park" error. When I have parked my car, shifted to park, and turn off the ignition I get the display message saying "Shift to Park" even though I have already done that and turned off the car. To clear the message, I have had to restart the car, shift out of park and b…
Read full complaint
My 2017 Malibu (50K miles) has begun giving me the "Shift to Park" error. When I have parked my car, shifted to park, and turn off the ignition I get the display message saying "Shift to Park" even though I have already done that and turned off the car. To clear the message, I have had to restart the car, shift out of park and back into park more forcefully than I want to or, while the ignition is off, push the gear shift harder to park. This error went from 1 a week to multiple times a day. I spoke with GM and they are saying they are not aware of this problem and I will have to pay for repairs out of pocket. I read today that a class action suit has been filed specifically about this problem. I am hoping with enough owners reporting their shift to park issue, GM will have to issue a recall.
I was going 70mph on the highway, when I got a sudden alarm from the car saying "reduced power". The car would not accelerate and started slowing rapidly, almost resulting in a collision. The car would not go more than 20mph. I had to pull off to the shoulder, restart the car several times, and then was able to get the power to …
Read full complaint
I was going 70mph on the highway, when I got a sudden alarm from the car saying "reduced power". The car would not accelerate and started slowing rapidly, almost resulting in a collision. The car would not go more than 20mph. I had to pull off to the shoulder, restart the car several times, and then was able to get the power to come back, but the check engine light remained on.
Error message on dash "shift to park". The car will not shut off completely with message on. I did some research, and it seems to be happening with a lot of Malibus and GMs. This is the second time it happens on my 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. My car is still fairly new with only 35k miles. The first time warranty covered it (shifter …
Read full complaint
Error message on dash "shift to park". The car will not shut off completely with message on. I did some research, and it seems to be happening with a lot of Malibus and GMs. This is the second time it happens on my 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. My car is still fairly new with only 35k miles. The first time warranty covered it (shifter was replaced), but I'm not so sure if they will cover this second time. This is a manufacturer error and we should not have to pay the price every time this happens.
WHILE DRIVING ON MULTIPLE ACCUSATIONS MY ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND GO OFF WITHIN MINUTES AND NOT RETURN TILL I TURN THE CAR BACK ON OR WHILE DRIVING LATER ON IN THE DAY OR DAYS AFTER SEEING THE LIGHT COME SO I WAS UNABLE TO BRING IT IN TO GET CHECKED OUT PROPERLY. A MONTH PASSED WHEN THE ISSUE APPEARED AND WHEN I DECIDED TO…
Read full complaint
WHILE DRIVING ON MULTIPLE ACCUSATIONS MY ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND GO OFF WITHIN MINUTES AND NOT RETURN TILL I TURN THE CAR BACK ON OR WHILE DRIVING LATER ON IN THE DAY OR DAYS AFTER SEEING THE LIGHT COME SO I WAS UNABLE TO BRING IT IN TO GET CHECKED OUT PROPERLY. A MONTH PASSED WHEN THE ISSUE APPEARED AND WHEN I DECIDED TO GO INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO POSSIBLY TRADE IN MY CAR THE LIGHT WAS NOT APPEARING FOR DAYS BEFOREHAND AND THINGS WERE NORMAL TILL A A COUPLE DAYS AFTER I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP MY CAR READ ON THE DASH 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER ' I WASN'T ABLE TO ACCELERATE QUICK ENOUGH IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC ON MILITARY TRAIL AND BELVEDERE I HAD TO PULL THROUGH A WALMART PARKING LOT TO AVOID ON COMING TRAFFIC AND BRING THE CAR TO MY HOME CLOSE BY VERY SLOW AND SLUGGISH DUE TO NOT GETTING ANY ACCELERATION FROM ME PRESSING ON THE PEDAL. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS TO REPLACE MY FUEL PUMP SYSTEM AT A COST HOWEVER IT HAS A CURRENT RECALL FOR MY SPECIFIC MAKE AND MODEL.
CAR GOES INTO AN ENGINE POWER REDUCED MODE WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.
I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY TRYING TO PASS ANOTHER CAR, BUT WHILE I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL THE ENGINE POWER REDUCE WITH ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND MY CAR STARTED LOOSING IT'S SPEED. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND THE ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON AND NOW MY REMOTE START(FOB) WILL NOT START. IT ATTEMPS TO START BUT THE ENGINE WILLNOT TURN OV…
Read full complaint
I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY TRYING TO PASS ANOTHER CAR, BUT WHILE I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL THE ENGINE POWER REDUCE WITH ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND MY CAR STARTED LOOSING IT'S SPEED. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND THE ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON AND NOW MY REMOTE START(FOB) WILL NOT START. IT ATTEMPS TO START BUT THE ENGINE WILLNOT TURN OVER.
Official recalls
421V649000 · Seat Belts:critical Fasteners; Seat Belts:rear/other:retractor
Aug 20, 2021
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Seat Belts:rear/other:retractor
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.
Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.
Seat Belts:critical Fasteners
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.
Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.
18V400000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification
Jun 14, 2018
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. During servicing, a Passenger Presence System (PPS) may have been installed that was not correctly calibrated to the vehicle's seat type. As a result, the PPS may not properly identify an adult passenger from a child passenger in the front passenger seat, potentially causing the air bag to not deploy when it should, or causing the air bag to deploy when it shouldn't.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger PPS seat service kit, free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18208.
18V358000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
May 31, 2018
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.
16V870000 · Air Bags:side/window
Dec 2, 2016
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017 Malibu vehicles manufactured on November 10, 2016. The right-hand rear side air bag inflator manifold may have insufficient welds.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Insufficient welds could cause the inflator to separate and propel air bag debris into the cabin during a crash. Also, the inflator could fail to inflate during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 16146.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
Illustration